Steps
- Backup your data. Copy your laptop's documents to another computer or external hard drive (roughly $90). If possible, copy the entire hard drive partition(s) to make a restore process almost painless. Application that are included with retail hard disk drives (not OEM) will work, as well as third-party backup and partition tools such as Norton's Ghost or Partition Magic. Use software that will automatically copy your vital files to the external hard-drive, such as Second Copy.
- Keep text files of license keys for all the software on your laptop. Keep it on another system or as a print-out of the file. This makes it much easier to reinstall software if you ever need to get a new laptop.
- Avoid unnecessary travel with your laptop — obvious but true — and ask yourself if you really need to take it with you. Laptop theft peaks on the weekend, when office workers take their laptops home.
Tips
- Put your laptop in a rucksack or a briefcase, not a laptop bag. You may want to use the laptop bag to protect your laptop because it has reinforced edges. If you do so, put the laptop in the laptop bag, then put the laptop bag in a rucksack.
- When traveling with your laptop, mentally program yourself to be aware of your laptop at all times. Physically hold on to your laptop by keeping it between your legs while aboard public transportation. This way, you'll know immediately if it is taken form you. There are many cases of items being stolen from between legs at restaurants, so also put one foot through the strap.
Warnings
- Only travel with a laptop on Friday if you absolutely HAVE to. This day of the week is when laptop theft peaks.
Sources and Citations
- Laptop insurance provider
- Laptop insurance provider in the UK
- Secondcopy
- Norton Partition Magic
- Norton Ghost
Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Avoid Making a Claim on Laptop Insurance. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.